Prior automatic firearms have included arrangements for moving the firing pin forward in an effort to prevent the hammer engaging the pin as it descends (U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,327). It has also been proposed to rotate levers to move a protrusion to a position to protect the firing pin from engaging the hammer as the hammer moves toward its down position (U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,697).
However, none of these arrangements has provided or suggested a compact decocking lever arrangement which is capable, as initially rotated, of moving the firing pin forward a limited distance, preventing further movement forward and upon further rotation of the lever, causing the sear to release the hammer.